


Into the Fire

by Shelaffs



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 13:22:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4836872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shelaffs/pseuds/Shelaffs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place during Trespasser DLC. A quick one-shot in which Althea Lavellan is affected by the chaotic magic from the anchor before confronting Solas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into the Fire

“Don’t come any closer!”  Althea grabbed her shaking hand as she crouched on the ground, teeth clenched with the pain. The green mark had worked its way nearly up to her elbow at this point, the glow following her veins like cracks in her skin. Even had she not been a mage, she could feel the magic pouring out of the mark, as could her companions by the looks on their faces. She could easily see their fear, agony, and even a bit of…anger it seemed. 

Up until this point, her focus on stopping the Qunari had been enough of a distraction to keep her focused on something – anything – but her hand. She couldn’t deny the truth any longer. It would kill her. Her hand, and the power she had wielded with it to save all of Thedas would mean the end of her own life.

She could feel the powerful magic coursing through her, growing by the second, when suddenly her hand shot up, obeying the needs of the expanding mark over her own body.  A sharp pain like lightning ripped through her shoulder now as her entire body was suspended in air, hanging from the anchor itself. The mark continued to reach up, as if it wanted to separate from her as much as she did from it. She attempted to face away from her companions, both because she didn’t want what was to come directed at them and because she didn’t want to see—

White. Her whole world went white in an instant and she felt nothing and everything. The mark releasing the energy it had stored up from the past few battles. A pulse of magic as if a rift had opened directly above her, and the force of it sending her her to the ground, as easily as if she were a corpse. _Soon enough_ she thought wryly.

She laid there, her body unwilling to obey her mind and just. Get. Up.  Her vision refused to focus though she saw blotches of shadow entering the field of white. Murmurs drifted into voices as her hearing slowly returned to ringing, and then the concern of her companions. Slowly awareness returned to her and her head, she realized, was no longer on the ground but in Dorian’s lap, the shadow in her vision coming into focus as she looked up at his face.

“My friend. You’ll get through this. You’ll get through this. You know I refuse to be the one to tell Cullen of how you fought your way through an entire Qunari army in the crossroads only to…” He was smiling sadly at her, tears dripping onto her cheeks, as he stroked her hair. “You’ll survive this,” he concluded, refusing to say the words.

 She glanced around and focused on each of her most trusted and loyal companions – her friends.

Varric. He quickly became one of her closest friends after joining the Inquisition. His sarcastic comments and witty banter with the others never failed to make her laugh, and she was always thankful to have him around during those lengthy treks back to Skyhold. She knew they’d never have the connection he had with Hawke, but she was so grateful to have had him at her side all the same.

Cassandra. A hard woman, she had thought at first. Things had been rough in the beginning, neither of them quite trusting the other. Slowly though, Cassandra had let her see pieces of her, she had faith in the decisions Althea made when everyone else doubted. She relied on Cassandra’s advice and strength a great deal through their adventures. But nothing meant as much to Althea as the respect Cassandra held for her, and how much she respected Cassandra in return. While this closeness hadn’t come as naturally as others, it meant more to Althea than she could ever imagine.

Oh Dorian. There were no words to express how much this broken man from Tevinter had meant to her. Throughout their journeys, he was one of the few to simply ask her how she was doing from time to time. He cared about her wellbeing as a person and not just as the Inquisitor. It was one of the hardest goodbyes when he left to return to Minrathous, but she understood and loved him that much more for the hope he held for his homeland. She truly believed that if anyone could change how things were done there, if anyone could fight against the corruption, it was him. 

She closed her eyes and sighed, allowing a small smile despite the great deal of pain she was in.

“Dorian, help me up?” She looked up to see his worried glance over at Cassandra quickly change back into that reassuring smile just for her.

“About time. I hope you appreciate these grass stains I’m getting because of you.”

“I’ll be sure Varric includes a tribute to your sacrifice in his next book,” She grabbed his outstretched hand, feeling the other come to her back as she slowly sat up. She closed her eyes again and waited as a wave of dizziness flowed over her, then quickly forced her weak body to stand before it could return. Dorian held onto her, hand still at her back as she steadied herself. She let go of his hand and looked over at him with a reassuring nod. Dorian dropped his hand and stepped back.

“I’ve wasted too much time. I’m going after Solas. Please…. wait here for me,” her eyes met each of theirs in turn, pleading. The unspoken words weighed heavily between them. _Wait here for me...though I may not return._ She met each of their glances, Dorian and Varric nodding in understanding. Cassandra gave her a stern look but ultimately nodded as well.

Althea turned toward the final Eluvian. She wasn’t sure what she’d find, or who she’d really encounter beyond that mirror, but she was ready to find out. She slid her hand along the surface and stepped through.


End file.
